Advance voting in European elections begins on Wednesday

Advance voting in the elections to the European Parliament begins on Wednesday 15 May. The advance voting period in Finland lasts for a week, so the last day for advance voting is Tuesday 21 May.

Abroad, advance voting is arranged between 15 and 18 May. At some polling stations, however, the voting period is shorter than this.

Voters must present some form of official photo ID both when voting on election day and when voting in advance, for example a passport, an identity card or a driving licence. The old cardboard driving licence will also be accepted as proof of identity, if the voter can be identified from the photo and the election official can thus reliably verify the identity of the voter. Voters who do not have a valid proof of identity can obtain a temporary identity card free of charge from the police for voting purposes.

There are a total of 910 advance polling stations in Finland. They are located, for example, at town halls, libraries, shopping centres and post offices. Information about the addresses and opening hours of advance polling stations is available on the election website of the Ministry of Justice at www.electionsfinland.fi and at the elections helpline (0800 9 4770; calls are free of charge). Election-related questions can also be sent on WhatsApp (050 438 8730).

Eligible voters living abroad and eligible voters staying abroad at the time of the elections have the right to vote by post in general elections. Information about postal voting is available at https://vaalit.fi/en/postal-voting.

Election day is Sunday 26 May. On election day, voters may only vote at the polling station mentioned on the polling card sent to them before the elections. Polling stations are open between 9.00 and 20.00.

In the European elections, the same candidates stand for election across the entire country. Information about the candidates and their candidate numbers are available on the website www.electionsfinland.fi.

Every Finnish citizen who has reached the age of 18 no later than on election day, irrespective of his or her place of residence, is entitled to vote. However, if a Finnish citizen has registered to vote in the European elections that are held in some other EU Member State, he or she is not entitled to vote in the European elections in Finland. Similarly, citizens of other EU Member States who reside in Finland may vote in the European elections held in Finland, if they have registered to vote here.

Videos in easy-to-understand language on how to vote are available on the YouTube channel of the Ministry of Justice. In addition, the website www.electionsfinland.fi contains information about the European elections in many different languages and videos in sign language.

Real-time information about voter turnout during the advance voting period can be followed on the election website www.electionsfinland.fi. The number of advance voters in each municipality and in the entire country will be updated on the website every hour.